1. Field of the Invention
The Invention relates in general to miter saws and more specifically to an internal miter saw having means and a method for cutting multiple workpieces at the workpiece to any/various unknown lengths and angles to form an inner mitered joint perimeter along an existing external frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has long been a Craftsman's scourge that the steps necessary to measure and cut a workpiece to length include a necessary amount of error and intolerance. For this reason, saws, especially power saws such as circular saws, jigsaws and table saws often include workpiece guides and fences to facilitate multiple cuts and help reduce the intolerance of the cut piece. A search of the prior art identified the following references as examples:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,425 is directed to a saw guide measuring square. The complexity of this device teaches away from the present invention. It also demonstrates the value of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,006 is directed to a hand held circular saw guide that enables the operator to make straight cross and angled cuts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,456 is directed to a saw guide base plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,903 is directed to a portable power saw guide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,183 is directed to a tool for producing a straight edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,448 is directed to a miter saw with an adjustable workpiece supporting fence.
For the most part, the above examples and others lend themselves to replicating cuts and multiple cuts in workpieces, which cut workpiece has a tolerance that is fine for most applications. However applications for which gross tolerance is not suitable are butt joints and miter joints, especially in the field of fine finish woodworking. A slight excess length and the workpiece just will not physically fit in place, but at least the craftsman can trim off the excess length. A slight shortness in length and the workpiece will not look suitable when placed in the joint and there is no remedy. A new workpiece must be cut at the correct length, and the whole process starts over again. In order to compensate for the close tolerances necessary for these butt and miter joints, the craftsman will perform multiple excess length cuts in the workpiece, fitting the workpiece to ever closer tolerances, until he has achieved the perfect fit. Alternately, the craftsman may chose to sand the workpiece to length to achieve the perfect fit in the joint.
Another problem associated with forming miter and butt joints is that while power saw equipment and even a miter box can cut the correct angle for the joint at a remote location, nowhere to be found is means or methods for solving this mitering/measuring problem at the workpiece.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have means and methods for cutting multiple workpieces at the workpiece to predetermined correct lengths and predetermined correct mitered angles to form an inner mitered joint perimeter along an existing external frame.
It would further be desirable if the means and methods of the invention take advantage of the existing interior measurement at the workpiece by having the internal miter saw tool of the invention reference one side of the workpiece and have the workpiece itself reference the opposite side of the workpiece.